Trump rebuffs oversight with claims his critics are 'corrupt.' Experts say it's a tactic

Detailed summary

President Trump's increasing claims that his political opponents are criminals or "corrupt" are in line with a tactic used by strongmen and authoritarian regimes, experts say.

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Facing fresh oversight and investigations from congressional Democrats come January, President Trump and his supporters have increasingly turned to a tactic experts say they recognize from authoritarian regimes the world over.

Without evidence or any clear legal reasoning, they’ve accused their political opponents of being criminal or “corrupt.”

Trump has alleged in a series of recent social media posts that the Democratic Party is led by “one of the most Corrupt and anti-American groups of political leaders and hacks in the history of our Country, and even the World,” and that there is “Massive Corruption and Crime taking place in Democrat run Cities and States.”

He said Democrats cheated to win the midterms and are now “illegally threatening Republicans with knowingly false accusations and charges.” He also renewed his previous calls for the prosecution of six Democratic lawmakers who advised U.S. military personnel not to follow illegal orders — calling them the “Seditious Six” — and wrote, “THE DEMOCRATS ARE CORRUPT AND EVIL, and I am the exact opposite.”

Trump’s posts followed White House Counsel Will Scharf warning Democratic lawmakers — including Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), the likely next chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee — that they could face criminal prosecution if they launch the kind of sweeping investigations into Trump and his family that they’ve promised.

They also followed recent Justice Department warnings to state and local elections officials across California that they could face criminal prosecution for not setting aside ballots from individuals the administration alleges are noncitizens, and criminal subpoenas demanding some of those same officials appear before a federal grand jury to discuss their handling of the ballot demands.

Experts said Trump’s latest flurry of accusations and threats is clearly a reaction to his current…

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